Trajan

Trajan (18 September 53-8 August 117) was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117, succeeding Nerva and preceding Hadrian. Trajan was known as a great Roman emperor, conquering Dacia and Armenia, also briefly conquering the Parthian capital of Ctesiphon before being forced to retreat due to internal issues as well as revolts in Parthia. He was an unusual emperor, as his tendencies far surpassed the typical bisexual behavior of most Roman emperors, as Cassius Dio and other Roman historians say that he preferred male sex, and that he may have had affairs with Hadrian, Nerva, the pages of the imperial household, the actor Pylades, and the dancer Apolaustus.

Biography
Although Trajan was born in Spain, his father became a Roman senator and he was brought up as part of the Roman ruling elite. He showed an early aptitude for the military life and distinguished himself as a legion commander campaigning on the Danube. His reputation as a general led the army to support his adoption as heir to the imperial throne, which fell to him in 98 CE on the death of Emperor Nerva. Between 101 and 106 Trajan carried out two major campaigns in Dacia, an area east of the Danube ruled by the warlike Decebalus. The first campaign inflicted sharp punishment on the Dacians, who sued for peace. But Decebalus broke the peace terms and on the second campaign Trajan achieved the total conquest of Dacia - including its capital, Sarmizegetusa - the death of its leaders, and the enslavement or massacre of its population.

War memorial
Trajan's Column was erected in Rome to commemorate his victory over the Dacians. The monument's scenes depict him accompanying the legions, drawing up plans with his senior officers, spervising engineering works such as bridge-building, directing sieges, conducting religious ceremonies, rewarding soldiers for bravery, and accepting the severed heads of his foe laid at his feet in tribute. roman historial Cassius Dio emphasizes that "he always marched on foot with the rank and file of the army... and he forded all the rivers that they did." Trajan returne to active campaigning late in life, heading east to lead a large-scale invasion of Parthia in 114 CE. He first annexed Armenia and pushed farther, taking the Parthian capital, Ctesiphon, and occupying the area in 116-17 CE. The occupation did not last, as Trajan faced a series of revolts in Parthia and internally. He died of natural causes at Cilicia, returning from the campaign, having extended Roman power to its limits.